Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-05-03
A DUEL IN THE STREET.
Two C0lOrcd Men shoot Each Other
at Close Quarter.

ONE OF THEN DEAD, THE OTHER DANGEROUSLY
worNDED-ALL BECAUSE ONE SAID THE OTHERS
WIFE WAS TOO GOOD FOR nM--THE INQUEST
TO-DAY.
This morning there lay stretched on board
house the dead body OF young colored man
about twenty eight years old. The blood-stalned
shirt was partly removed, showing little round
oullet-hole over the heart. Beside the body were
laid carefully two cigars and jack-knffe taken
from the mans pockets and representing. so far
as could be aScertained, all the personal estate
LETT BY the dead man. This man was Robert Rob-
1nson At the same time there lay writing On a
COZ at the Freedman's Hospital another young
colored man, Joseph Lee, with bullet wound
very near the heart. These two scenes repre-
sented the results OF q savage and desperate
meeting In the street last night a street duel in
when ehe eomDatants were terribly In earnest.
me shooting occurred about twenty minutes past
hine O'Clock, near the corner Of 25th and
s ssrs Inc encounter occurred so suddenly
that the excited community hardly real
fzed at first what had occurred.
DUEL 10 THE DEATH.
Atsoon became known that Lee ana Robinson
had shot each other. Lee had charged Robinson
with talking about his wife, When they met at
the corner OF 25th and M streets they were ready
tlrL !or eacn other. few words passed, AMI
Iney nseq et each other. Robinson turned and
IAN anu Lee pursued him short distance, firing
snOt. linen Lee fell, exhausted. Robinson ran
20 yard near by, on 25ih street, where he was
rh, pg r1e Ponee He was taken in wagon to
ehe eMru precinct station and died as he being
carried INTO the StatiOn-house. Lee was taken to
9rug store, and subsequently to the FreedmanS
Hospital
This morning there was crowd about the third
PRECINCT station-house. Coroner Patterson arrived
early, and soon empaneled a jury OF inquest, CON-
posed OF r. p. Goodwin, Herman Koss, Robt. Ma
ss suael, Gavin Wilmer, Jos. Rollins, and Danl
Snananan. This jury was sworn over the body OF
Robinson stretched out in the shed, and then pro-
ceeded to examine witnesses.
THU TESTIMONY.
Albert Lucas, colored man, living at 1916 25th
street northwest the LIST witness said he was about
nifty feet from the parties when the shooting oc-
CURED. ne could not tell who shot first; he
thought they fired about the same instant When
ne nrst saw them Robinson was near Lees door on
Then Lee lert and Robinson walked ana overlook
nim. Robinson caught hold OF Lees coat and said
Il want TO see you and want to see you pretty
s SAD NO, want to see you some other time"
Ihen ne heard Lee say ''YOu are not man II you
take II" and then both fired, 10 that
THE REPORTS OF THE TWO PISTOLS SOUNDED LIKE ONE.
Robinson then ran and Lee pursued him. Lee
nred once while running after Robinson. Robin
son turned down through a vacant lot and his pis-
tol went on again. but whether it was accidental
or not witness did not know. Lee followed Robin
son until ne lLee) fell down.
ID said that KoSnon cams 20 hm at
the corner OF 18th and streets and asked witness
70 lend him pistol. Witness told him he had
none Tnen witness asked, "What'S the matter,
Rob?" Robinson said, tThat's all right and went
on up street toward his home: toward oath
same direction and met Robinson coming
back. Robinson was talking with young
man man. ,, When en-. he got through witness
that he and Joe had had some words, land that he
told Joe to wait there till he came back He said
that Joe had been lying about him, ana that he
was
GOING ITO SEE IT OUT"
Witness advised hum not to have fuss, but to
return home. He replied with an oath that he
would see this thing out, !" and walked off toward
25th street. The witness followed. Robinson met
to Lee: ''You have been lying on me-" Lee said:
mo, have not" Then Robinson said: do you
think yourself a mann" Lee said: no; I'm done
fist, said ''Fll take you back OF the hill and lick
you with these I'VE bones" Lee said again, Rob
1nson, I'm done With; I'm not going to tight you;
away, and Robinson followed him to 10Th street.
and again said, "You've been lying on me-" He
said, cts - internal lighting lie. That means
nght." Then Robinson took a pistol out of his
pocket and nred.
ROBINSON FIRED FIRST,
and fired twice. Then he turned and ran. Lee ran
after him, fired and then fell Witness heard an
other Shot fired; that, he supposed, was from Rob-
tnson's pistol after Robinson turned the corner
The witness Insisted that the only shot Lee fired
was the one he fired after Robinson turned
and ran. AS RobinSOnS wound was square in
front, the witness was asked to explain this, and
said 1t might have been done as Robinson was
turning.
STORY OF ANOTHER EYEWITNESS.
Frank DuttOn, another young cOlored man gave
An account Of the shooting similar to BaItmores s,
except that he said Robinson fired two shots first
and then Lee fired before Robinson turned and fell
Chas Butler, cOlOred man living on 26th street
between M and N, heard two shots fired and after.
ward saw Robinson running, pursued by Lee. He
saw Lee fire after the fleeing man, and then fall
fired on the commons in the direction in which
Robinson ran.
G. McKeever. who lives at e4ss NJ street. saw
Robinson stagger up to the door OF his nefgnbOr
Mr.. Lucas. on 18th street. opposite Phillips Court
Robinson said he was shot. Witness asked, "Who
what did You do. and he said az shof IS
kill him." When he came running up Mrs. Lucas
thought he was drunk and shut the door. Robin
son ieii against the house Witness heard four
RoBINsoN's DEATH.
Policeman T. F. Reidy testified that he heard
the shots about half past nine. just then a man
came up to witness and said ''There is some fun
down there" Witness went with Policeman
half way in and half way out the door. He said
he had been shot by Joe Lee. They put him in
wagon and carried him to the statiOn-house. On
the way Robinson struggled to get out. just as
they were taking him into the police station Rob-
inSon groaned for the last time. He had ex-
amined the ground to-day and found that Robin
son ran 200 yards. His pistol went of as he was
going under a brush fence. The ball, as the wit
ness was satisfied went into the ground. He found
an old piece OF leather under the fence that had
bullet hole through 1t.
Three pistols were produced, one dropped by
Lee and picked up by DuttOn, another found In
Lees pocket, and the third dropped by Robinson
in Lucas yard. The one takei from Lees pocket
OF Lee three had been fired. From RObinson's PTS
tOl only two shots had been fired.
Officer Reidy said that the cOlOred man Balt1-
more last night claimed that Robinson shot him
self when running through the vacant lot.
DR.. Lachlan Tyler testified that he examined
RObinSOnS body, and found pistol shot wound In
tie left chest, about two inches to the right and
an inch above the left nipple. The ball passed
through the upper lobe OF the left lung, fractured
the firth rib near the angle and lodged In the mus
rhage and shock.
The jury found a verdict that Robinson came to
his death '.from pistol shot wound OF the chest
inflicted with pistol held in the hands OF Joseph
Lee" Lee will be committed to Jail when his con-
dition will permit his removal.
WHY THEY FOUGHT.
Robinson, the dead man, lived on New Hamp-
shire avenue, near the scene Of the shooting JOS
Lee lived on NJ, near 25th. Both men worked On
the coal wharves. Lee was married a little before
Christmas. The trouble between them as told to
a STAR reporter by Lees wife, was that Robinson
remarked that Lees wife was zoo good for him.
ale Said" Mrs. Lee went on, "that he wished he
way and told him that did not like It and I
wished he would stop 1t. He said sonnet hing about